Politics

Dhaka, Oct 15 (UNB) – BNP on Monday alleged that people are now suffering from ‘digital phobia’ as the government enacted various ‘black laws’ like Digital Security Act to ‘restrict’ the freedom of expression.

“You (govt) have formulated various black laws, including the Digital Security Act, to lock up democracy, gag people’s voice and suppress the freedom of expression,” said BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.

Speaking at a press conference at the party’s Nayapaltan central office, he also alleged that people now cannot say anything openly out of fear of reprisal. “People are now suffering from digital phobia.”

Referring to a media report on the procurement of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), the BNP leader said the cat has now come out of the bag as the EVMs were purchased at 11 time higher prices than India.

Rizvi alleged the main motive behind procuring the EVMs is to plunder huge amount of public money ahead of the national election. “There’s a question in public mind whether the huge amount of money was given to some particular persons at the Election Commission as a gift ahead of the polls.”

About the boycott of the Commission’s today’s meeting by Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukder, the BNP leader said it was a right decision against the snatching of freedom of expression. “The Chief Election Commissioner doesn’t listen to any one as he only works on the messages come from the Prime Minister’s Office.”

Reacting to Prime Minister’s various remarks about BNP at her Sunday’s Madaripur rally, Rizvi said Sheikh Hasina’s comments were ‘weird and self-contradictory’ which made people stunned.

He said the Prime Minister tried to shift the blame of her party’s various misdeeds onto others through her comments at the rally.

Dhaka, Oct 15 (UNB) – BNP senior leader Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Monday said Jatiya Oikya Front was formed with the leaders who had contributions to the Liberation War to defeat the evil forces.

“Bangladesh’s distinguished and accepted leaders who had contributions to the Liberation War have now got united reflecting people’s aspirations. The evil forces got defeated during the Language Movement, the Liberation War and anti-autocracy movement as the nation became united,” he said.

Speaking at a discussion, the BNP leader further said, “The evil forces will surely be defeated this time as the nation has now got united with the formation of the Jatiya Jukta Front.”

Nagorik Odhikar Andolon, a pro-BNP platform, arranged the programme at the Jatiya Press Club demanding cancellation of convictions of Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman and the release of all political prisoners.

On Saturday, BNP, Jatiya Oikya Prokriya and a faction of Jukta Front launched a new opposition alliance, ‘Jatiya Oikya Front’, ahead of the 11th national election.

Khosru, also a BNP standing committee member, said people have now got united to restore their ownership of the country and voting rights by ensuring the rule of law, freedom of expression and press freedom.

He called upon all to wage a united movement under the Jatiya Oikya Front platform to realise people’s all demands and restore their rights. “I urge all to join the movement with courage.”

“The national unity will destroy the reign of terror established by the government across the country with intimidation and repressive acts. We shouldn’t now sit idle as we’ll have to wage a movement urgently by completing all the tasks of the national unity,” the BNP leader added.

Amir Khosru alleged that the government has taken an ‘election project’ to annihilate democracy by holding the next polls keeping people out of the election process.

As part of the project, he said, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was sent to jail in a ‘false’ case, and the verdicts in the August-21 grenade attack cases were given convicting party acting Chairman Tarique Rahman.

He said the government’s dream of implementing its ‘election project’ has already got shattered as the journey of the Jatiya Jukta Front began three days after the August-21 cases verdicts.

Dhaka, Oct 15 (UNB) – Amid concern about its fate after the formation of Jatiya Oikya Front, top leaders of the BNP-led 20-party alliance is going to sit in a meeting this (Monday) evening to discuss its next course of action.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at BNP chairperson's Gulshan office at 6:30pm, said Khaleda Zia's media wing member Sayrul Kabir Khan.

It will be the first formal meeting of the alliance after BNP formed another alliance with Dr Kamal Hossain-led Jatiya Oikya Prokriya, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Rob) and Nagorik Oikya two days back.

A top leader of the 20-party alliance, wishing anonymity, said they will elaborately discuss how the 20-party alliance will work and its future course of action after BNP’s involvement with another alliance.

He said they will also seek an explanation from the BNP leaders about what will be their role in the next election and different programmes to be announced by the Jatiya Oikya Front in the days to come.

A BNP senior leader said they will inform the alliance partners the perspective of forming another alliance and its strategy so that no misunderstanding is created among them.

Ten minutes after the start of the 36th meeting of the Commission at Nirbachan Bhaban with Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda in the chair, Talukder issued his ‘note of dissent’ and left the meeting room.

He boycotted the meeting for not evaluating his opinions and disagreement on various issues, said Talukder.

On August 30 last, he boycotted another meeting of the Commission issuing a ‘note of dissent’.

Dhaka, Sept 14 (UNB) – Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad will unveil his party’s ‘election guideline’ from a grand rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital on October 20.

“Jatiya Party is now preparing for the election. The party’s election guideline will be announced at the grand rally on October 20,” Ershad said in a statement on Sunday.

He asked his party’s all leaders and activists to make the grand rally a success with their participation.

“The October-20 grand rally will be the last one before the 11th parliamentary polls. So, the party’s leaders and activists at all levels must be present in it,” Ershad said.

He also called upon the people of all walks of life to join the programme at the historic Suhrawardy Udyan.

Mentioning that many people are voicing doubt over the next election, the Jatiya Party chairman said there is no alternative to holding the polls to keep the democratic system intact and install an acceptable government.